Ross Mirkarimi ready to fight misconduct charges

Suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves his domestic violence class orientation at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco, Calif., March 22, 2012.
Jason Henry/Special to The Chronicle

Suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves his domestic violence class orientation at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco, Calif., March 22, 2012.
Jason Henry/Special to The Chronicle

Photo: Jason Henry, Special To The Chronicle

Photo: Jason Henry, Special To The Chronicle

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Suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves his domestic violence class orientation at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco, Calif., March 22, 2012.
Jason Henry/Special to The Chronicle

Suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi leaves his domestic violence class orientation at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco, Calif., March 22, 2012.
Jason Henry/Special to The Chronicle

Photo: Jason Henry, Special To The Chronicle

Ross Mirkarimi ready to fight misconduct charges

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Ross Mirkarimi said Thursday that he is prepared to fight the mayor's charges of official misconduct before the Ethics Commission in an effort to save his job as sheriff.

"Yes, yes. I am absolutely," he said, when asked if he is ready to wade into what is largely uncharted territory in waging a defense before the independent panel. But he offered little insight into his game plan.

Mirkarimi was charged with official misconduct Wednesday and was suspended from his job - the first step in the mayor's attempt to strip him from office. After the city's Ethics Commission holds a hearing on the matter, the case will be handed to the Board of Supervisors, which will decide whether he should be removed as sheriff. The proceedings are expected to begin next month.

Mirkarimi, who was sworn in as sheriff less than three months ago, wouldn't comment directly on the charges of official misconduct. When asked whether he thought they constituted a "piling on," he said: "I think the piling on was weeks ago; it's just the same - piling on."

Mirkarimi pleaded guilty last week to one misdemeanor count of false imprisonment of his wife on New Year's Eve. Prosecutors say he inflicted a bruise on his wife's arm during an argument in front of their 2-year-old son. The guilty plea was part of a plea bargain agreement in which prosecutors agreed to drop three other domestic-violence-related charges.

As part of the deal, Mirkarimi was placed on three years' probation and required to attend weekly domestic violence intervention classes for a year. He had to appear at the Hall of Justice Thursday for a class orientation and to meet with his probation officer. There, he was met by a phalanx of reporters and cameras.

As Mirkarimi tried to quickly leave from the building, he offered brief remarks to the pursuing journalists. "Is this a little surreal for you?" he was asked. "Yes," he said. "To say the least."

Green building: Optimism is especially important in government, which is why the Insider is so taken with the upbeat feeling surging from a new release by SF Environment, the city's green watchdog.

"Hundreds of large commercial building owners across San Francisco are gearing up to rate their property's energy use by April 1, 2012, to comply with San Francisco's Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance (and doesn't that just trip off the tongue?) aimed at helping owners lower energy use and costs," the release reads.

How realistic that attitude is may be another question. Since the ordinance took effect in October for the city's 800 or so largest commercial buildings, 50,000 square feet and above, the compliance level is a less-than-gaudy 38 percent.

(Full disclosure: On that list of noncompliant buildings, available for viewing at www.honestbuildings.com/sf-ecb, is 901 Mission St, longtime home of, ahem, The Chronicle.)

The city ordinance is designed to help property owners reduce energy costs, provide jobs for workers upgrading buildings to improve energy efficiency, and help the city meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals, said Barry Hooper, green building coordinator for SF Environment. Buildings account for more than half of local greenhouse gas emissions.

But city officials are confident more property owners will get involved as the word continues to get out. The April 1 reporting deadline is for an additional 600 buildings of 25,000 square feet and above, while the final group of about 1,200 commercial buildings larger than 10,000 square feet will have to make their first annual report in April 2013.

Although the law allows the city to fine property owners who don't comply, there's no hurry to wave the big stick, Hooper said.